I could hear the gentle rain tapping on the roof this morning when I got up before Ivy. Yesterday the weather made a turn. It’s cooler today after several days of warm, sometimes hot, muggy stillness of the dog days of August.

Later this morning, we will be going home. It is both exciting and bittersweet.

Ivy was a puppy when I first started blogging, now she’s a senior dog, the senior dog. She doesn’t move like she once did, which is a blessing because I can remember many times trying to find her when she wandered away from the cottage and took off into the woods. We’ve learned a few things since those early days, but Fern is a lot like Ivy, but she will return when you call her. We have an Invisible Fence at home and both dogs know the boundary. At the lake we’ve been using a training collar, but that doesn’t contain either of them, especially Fern who has been known to return home with a deer leg, or two. It is bittersweet watching Ivy age, but it’s heartwarming seeing how Fern interacts with her. (NOTE – edited, last sentence added after publishing)

Recently, O discovered a new way to keep Fern close to home. It’s a Halo dog collar and it works much like an Invisible Fence, but without the wires. We’ve been using it for over a month and Fern has figured out how far she can go. Fortunately, Ivy too doesn’t stray far.

It was the annual canoe race marathon the weekend before our friends joined us. It is a busy weekend and like we have in previous years we were in town for the start. All of us were here: B, W, and O and W’s wife, M. W’s wife is pregnant with twin boys and at next year’s race we will have three generations. Exciting, the baby shower is this weekend.

When our friends were visiting last week, we took a couple of trips across the lake to the sandhill. We took Ivy and Fern, and they had a great time exploring and playing in the water. I was worried Ivy would be uncomfortable, but she surprised us and walked all over the place, even climbing the sandhill and exploring the wooded trails. Fern had a good time, too.

It’s Day 64 of my summer break and there are thirteen days remaining. August always seems to pass so quickly, too quickly.

I’ve had many adventures this summer: family, friends, dogs, baseball, food, and beer. It’s been a good summer and I’ll be sad to see it go. I have a few friends from school who retired this past year who aren’t worried about the bittersweet taste of August. I suspect they will feel a little different when school restarts without them. But, I am certain they will adjust accordingly. Time is relative and it adjusts to the activities we have. In a few years, I look forward to joining them after many summers of practicing for retirement.

I am still trying to find a way to complete my bucket list – visiting all 30 major league baseball parks. I have one remaining to make it thirty – Fenway Park in Boston. It’s bittersweet.

Today is going to be an amazing day, we are headed home after being away. The dog days of summer are still in play, but I’ll keep an eye on both Ivy and Fern when we get home. Tomorrow could be a million and six times better, but I am going to focus on making today count. So, I’d better jump up, jump in, and seize the day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time making time to be enjoy the summer at the lake and at home.

What is exiting or bittersweet about summer for you? Or both.